State: Climate change could cost taxpayers billions of dollars

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(The Center Square) – California’s taxpayers might have to pay $15.4 billion by 2033 and $56 billion by 2100 to fight the effects of climate change, a California Department of Transportation report states.

According to a sea level rise report from the Department of Transportation released earlier this year, state officials project that the effects of climate change on the state’s highways and roadways will cost $14.7 billion by 2033. That number could likely jump to $56 billion by 2100, the department said in that report. It is unclear how much of those amounts would be paid by California’s taxpayers.

That report also stipulates that more than six and a half feet of sea level rise could cost the San Francisco Bay Area alone $450 billion to make the area resilient to a rising sea.

Additionally, $150 billion worth of property is at risk of damage because of sea level rise, according to that report. The report follows other state efforts to develop a climate action plan targeting greenhouse gas emissions and asses climate risks, among other actions. 

"Without being proactive in those ways or having a plan, it's going to cost taxpayers more without thinking that through because we're going to have to keep rebuilding and rebuilding," Julia Kingsley, deputy secretary of environmental policy and housing coordination for the California State Transportation Agency, told The Center Square on Wednesday. "We want to make sure that from the very beginning of a project to maintaining it, we're thinking about the impacts of how our climate is changing in order to reduce the cost in the long term."

Officials with the Department of Transportation and the California Transportation Commission did not answer questions from The Center Square before publication time.

Already, taxpayer money has been spent on dealing with the aftermath of climate conditions’ impacts on California roads and highways. About $83 million was spent on restoration efforts of a stretch of Highway 1 near Big Sur after a major coastal storm in February 2024 caused a landslide, according to another report from the California Department of Transportation. More than 300,000 cubic yards of debris was cleared from the roadway, and the equivalent of 52 miles of steel was drilled into the slope to stabilize the hill.

Lawmakers say that money is well-spent.

“Investing in transportation infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather is about protecting Californians and their taxpayer dollars over the long term,” Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City and chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, told The Center Square on Wednesday. “Caltrans’ 2026 Climate Change Vulnerability Risk Assessment and updated sea-level rise guidance ensure the state applies science-based planning to strengthen our roads and highways against climate risks, including El Niño and other extreme weather events. Proactive investments today can help reduce costly damage, disruptions, and repairs in the future.”

According to a press release from the California Department of Transportation, California’s taxpayers also paid $60.5 million to move part of Highway 1 in Sonoma County 400 feet inland to prevent damage from coastal erosion and flooding. That project included construction of an 850-foot-long bridge. An additional $21 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on shifting a three-mile stretch of Highway 1 inland between 80 and 475 feet in San Luis Obispo County, as well as a $24 million bridge that can be raised up to three and a half feet in anticipation of sea level rise.

The state’s 2026 Climate Change Vulnerability Risk Assessment shows that 15% of the state’s highway system stands to experience flooding from nearby rivers, and along the coast, approximately 90 miles of roads are exposed to coastal flooding during major storms.

Up to 440 miles of roadways in California could be impacted by rising sea levels and increased coastal storms, and up to 330 miles of those roadways could become permanently lost by the end of the century, according to that report.

However, among all the hazards the California Department of Transportation analyzed in its latest climate change vulnerability report, coastal flooding is expected to be the greatest threat to the state’s transportation system.

“North State residents are all too familiar with the impacts of both wildfires and floods and how much more difficult it is to cope with emergencies when vital highways close,” Sen. Megan Dahle, R-Bieber, told The Center Square on Wednesday. “These long-term forecasts are inevitably speculative, but looking ahead and preparing for extreme weather events won’t just help us in 50 years. It helps today. I appreciate Caltrans’ work to better prepare for the inevitable.”

Coastal erosion, similar to that seen at Gleason Beach in Sonoma County and the Rocky Creek Bridge in Carmel, could result in the permanent loss of 32 miles of roads. That number could increase to 84 miles of roads toward the end of the century, according to the Department of Transportation. Wildfire is also a major threat to California’s roads and highways – 75% of the state’s roadways are in fire-prone areas, and in some parts of the state, that number jumps to more than 90%, according to the Department of Transportation’s latest climate change vulnerability risk assessment.

Landslides threaten roughly 50% of the state’s roadways system, according to that report.

“As our region has seen with the most recent storms, wildfires, sea level rise and coastal erosion is severely damaging our local roads and infrastructure,” Assemblymember Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel and vice chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, told The Center Square on Wednesday. “We can protect our environment while making practical investments needed to strengthen our infrastructure and prepare for the challenges ahead.”

The International Panel on Climate Change, the Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute and the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at University of California, Santa Barbara did not respond to The Center Square's request for comment.